By: Zofeen T Ebrahim
First published: 12 August 04, TODAY

Placing her mobile phone on the table, Zulekha runs her fingers through her long, streaked hair and smiles.

Next to her, Mariam, stifles a yawn and apologises: "I had a late night," as she reads a text message on her phone.

Then, there is Bakhtawar who chews on the ghutka (a tobacco and betel-nut concoction) - her stained teeth bearing testimony to the effects of the mixture.

She sizes me up with a suspicious look and asks if I am a journalist.

Janat is the most welcoming. She is also the oldest of the women. She beams and says she has finally learnt to write her name through the female literacy programme that is being run in the neighbourhood.

The other two in the room remain silent throughout the discussion and their input is limited to smiles and acknowledging what others had to say.

These six female sex workers, who belong to a community which is especially vulnerable to HIV and Aids, have taken the social marketing of condoms upon themselves.

They have not only begun to use condoms, but have convinced the women in their community that condoms are not just to prevent pregnancies but to protect them from sexually-transmitted infections.

The six women stock condoms in their homes and make the prophylactic available to the rest of the community free of charge.

"It was embarrassing to go to a corner shop or a pharmacy to buy a condom. We also feared police harassment. It is more convenient this way. We send a message through someone and in a couple of minutes, it is in our hands," says Zulekha.

The group was formed as part of a pilot project launched last year in Serey Ghat, the red light district in Hyderabad, Pakistan.

The project aims to spread awareness about sexually-transmitted diseases and HIV and Aids among sex workers, without stigmatising or demoralising them.

Serey Ghat is the fourth largest red light area in Pakistan after those in Karachi, Lahore and Multan. There are about 101 households, 70 brothels and more than a 100 sex workers in Serey Ghat.

Many of the sex workers migrated to Karachi and Lahore when a ban on their activities was imposed during Gen Zia-ul-Haq's military regime in the 1980s.

For the public, Serey Ghat is out of bounds as far as prostitution is concerned, yet these activities are carried out on the sly. "The government invited bids for this project. They have declared prostitution illegal, but are cognizant of it," explains

Mr Alya Mian, a manager with Greenstar Social Marketing - a non-governmental organisation which oversees the project.

"Our task has become more complicated due to this policy of the government as the target population migrates to other cities and within residential areas where we cannot reach out to them or help them in a concerted and more organised manner," explains Mr Mian.

Zulekha, for instance, visits Karachi for "private performances" every Friday and leaves on Sunday.

Her "performances" are held in Karachi's leading hotels where she meets individual clients and her "programme" includes singing and dancing for mostly overseas clients - mainly from Dubai.

Amid all this, the six female sex workers have probably no idea that they are playing a huge role in breaking the silence surrounding HIV and Aids in their neighbourhood.

Of the 168 female sex workers in Serey Ghat, 158 visited the primary health clinic run by Greenstar and were tested for Aids. All 158 are HIV free - at least for now.

Since 1987, after the first case of HIV was reported in Pakistan, the number of reported cases has gradually increased and if not nipped now, the disease will jump from the vulnerable group and spill over into the general population.

It is estimated that between 70,000 and 80,000 of Pakistan's population of 140 million is HIV-positive. Official figures are much lower.

Towards the end of last year 1,942 cases of HIV and 231 of Aids cases were reported to the National Aids Control Programmes which sets guidelines for all HIV/Aids interventions.

"Of course we had heard of Aids (through TV mostly) before these people told us," says Janat.

But she says the early messages were not clear. "We didn't know we could get it. We perceived it to be a 'western' disease. We had no idea it could be transmitted through used syringes or that it can be transmitted to unborn and suckling babies," adds Janat.

All the six female sex workers who now work as peer outreach workers - as they are known in the development jargon - find their job of going house-to-house "difficult and at times embarrassing".

"It's not easy to visit your relatives and talk about condoms or to teach them the art of negotiating the use of a condom with their clients or convincing them that it is all right to go to a doctor and get treated for sexually-transmitted diseases," says Janat.

"But it gets easier with time," adds Mariam, who has acquired a new-found confidence in herself. "My friends and relatives call me Dr Mariam. I feel good that I'm doing something positive for the community," she beams. - IPS

Zofeen T Ebrahim is a features writer for Inter Press Services.
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